Study links cancer risk to diet

Study links cancer risk to diet

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Story Published: Nov 1, 2007 at 8:33 AM PDT

Story Updated: Nov 1, 2007 at 8:33 AM PDT

By Herb Weisbaum & ABC News

It turns out your cancer risk is directly related to your weight and your diet. That's the conclusion from a landmark study released Wednesday.

So how do we respond to this information? What should you do to reduce your cancer risk?

ABC News Medical Editor Dr. Tim Johnson says based on this research, there seems to an upper limit to how much red meat you can safely eat and how much alcohol you can safely drink.

"They say that we should eat no more than 18 ounces of red meat a week. That's about 2.5 ounces a day. For the week that amounts to about four Quarter Pounders or two small eight or nine ounce steaks," Johnson said. "So that's not a lot obviously. And as to alcohol, they say that the amount of drinks should be limited to two a day for men and one a day for women.

Dr. Johnson says the report strongly urges that we eat more whole grains, and that we get our nutrients from real food rather than taking supplements or pills.

"There's something about whole foods that seems to be more healthy than when you try to put it together in a package of supplements," he said. "They very much recommend whole foods. Fruits and vegetables in particular."

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